Got Milk? Goat or Cow?

Broad Question

Do people like goat milk better if it's chocolate flavored?

Specific Question

Does the flavor of milk affect whether a subject likes cow milk or goat milk better?

Hypothesis

It is hypothesized that most test subjects will like the chocolate cow milk the same as the chocolate goat milk, regardless of which one they initially chose. This is hypothesized because it is predicted that the chocolate taste will mask the taste of goat milk.

Graph of Hypothesis

Variables

Independent Variable:

Flavor of milk

Dependent Variable:

How much test subjects like the milk

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

Same test subjects, same brand of milk, same brand of chocolate syrup, same amount of chocolate syrup, same amount of milk

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation

Homogenized: To blend cream and milk of cow's milk
Pasteurization: Heating of milk to sterilize it

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General Plan

On March 12 at snack break, nine subjects were brought into a room and each given a small cup of white goat's milk and a small cup of white cow's milk. Each subject was also given a voting slip, on which they rated each type of milk 1-10. The next day the same subjects were brought into the same room and given small cup of chocolate goat's milk and a small cup of chocolate cow's milk. They rated each type of milk on new voting slips. This experiment was run again for the second trial (with subjects 10-18). In total there were eighteen subjects, nine male and nine female.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns

Some test subjects might be allergic to something in the milk, so permission slips are sent home for the parent to sign.

Experimental Design

Resources and Budget Table

Time Line

• March 2 - Complete design (JBES)
• March 7 - Give out permission slips to all people (JBES)
• March 9 - Finish getting all materials (JBES)
• March 12 - Ten nine people with white milk
• March 13 - Test same nine people with chocolate milk
• March 14 - Ten nine different people with white milk
• March 15 - Test same nine people from March 14 with chocolate milk
• March 22 - Organize data, observations, and evidence to turn in
• March 23 - Turn in data, observations, and evidence
• March 26-30 - Work on results and conclusions
• April 2-10 - Work on Wiki Page (complete by April 11)
• April 12-26 - Work on display board (complete by April 27)

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Background Research

• The US produces more than 125 billion pounds of milk every year
• 65% of the milk drunk around the world is from goats
• There are over 440 million goats in the world kept for dairy purposes
• Goats produce 4.8 million tons of milk every year
• There are approximately 1 million dairy goats in the US
• Goats take up a small space, don't eat much, and produce enough milk for the average family (about a gallon a day)
• Many people think that goat milk has a funny taste or smell to it, but this taste or smell is only present if there is a male goat in the herd
• There are six breeds of dairy cows and six breeds of dairy goats
• There is less fat in goat milk than in cow milk
• Goat milk doesn't cream very well, especially at lower temperatures
• Goat milk is higher in minerals and calcium, but lower in sodium
• Goat milk is easily digested, and therefore is better for children and some young animals, even calves
• Calves can consume large quantities of goat milk, but the same amount of cow milk would be bad for them
• 93% of infants allergic to cow milk can drink goat milk without any side effects
• Goat milk contains flourine, which helps to prevent diabetes
• Goat milk does not form mucus
• Goat milk contains 2% curd, against cow milk's 10%
• Goat milk is usually more expensive than cow milk

References

http://www.mtcapra.com/benefits-of-goat-milk-vs-cow-milk/
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=131
http://www.goatworld.com/articles/goatmilk/goatmilk.shtml
http://www.everything-goat-milk.com/goat-milk-vs-cow-milk.html

Detailed Procedure

1. Collect all materials
2. Pour goat milk into bottle labeled A
3. Pour cow milk into bottle labeled B
4. Label half the cups A
5. Label other half the cups B
6. Bring in nine test subjects
7. Give each test subject an A cup and a B cup
8. Each subject rate white milk A 1-10
9. Each subject rate white milk B 1-10
10. next day give same test subjects chocolate milk labeled A and B
11. Each person rate chocolate milk A 1-10
12. Each person rate chocolate milk B 1-10
13. Repeat with nine new subjects
14. End with nine males and nine females

Diagram

Photo List

• White milk A
• White milk B
• Chocolate milk A
• Chocolate milk B
• Subjects from Trial 1
• Subjects from Trial 2
• Cup with white milk A
• Cup with white milk B
• Cup with chocolate milk A
• Cup with chocolate milk B
• Subject drinking milk
• Subject's response to milk

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Results

All Raw Data

Graphs

Photos

Set up of experiment

Subject drinking milk

Subject's reaction to milk

Subject drinking milk

Subject rating milk

Sample of milk A

Sample of milk B

Subject preparing to drink milk

Set up of individual station

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Data Analysis

Eighteen trials were conducted, each drinking a small glass of each type of milk. It was observed that some of the trials could not tell the difference between the cow milk and the goat milk, and some could tell the difference easily. The chocolate milk was more popular for both cow and goat milks. The average rating for white cow milk was 7.8, white goat milk was 5.0, chocolate cow milk was 8.1, and chocolate goat milk was 5.8.

Conclusion

An experiment was conducted to find out if whether milk was chocolate or white affected how much people liked cow milk and goat milk. The dependent variable was the type and flavor of the milk, and the independent variable was how much each trial liked each milk. OUr experiment question was "Does the flavor of milk affect whether a subject likes cow milk or goat milk better?". It was hypothesized that most subjects would like the chocolate cow milk as much as they liked the chocolate goat milk, regardless of what they rated each without chocolate. The answer was the flavor does not affect whether a subject likes cow milk or goat milk. The hypothesis was incorrect.

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Discussion

An experiment was conducted to answer the question "Does the flavor of milk affect whether a subject likes cow milk or goat milk better?". The results of the experiment determined that the flavor of milk does not affect whether a subject likes cow milk or goat milk better. When given a small glass of white cow milk and a small glass of white goat milk, the average rating from eighteen trials was 7.8 out of 10 for white cow milk and 5.0 out of 10 for white goat milk. The same trials were given a small glass of chocolate cow milk and a small glass of chocolate goat milk. The average rating were 8.1 out of 10 for chocolate cow milk and 5.8 out of 10 for chocolate goat milk. It was hypothesized that most subjects would like the chocolate cow milk as much as they liked the chocolate goat milk, regardless of what they rated each without chocolate. This hypothesis was proven to be incorrect.
While conducting the experiment, it was observed that some subjects could not tell the difference between the goat milk and the cow milk, while others could easily tell the difference. There were a few subjects who tasted the goat milk and spit it all over the table, which annoyed the scientists conducting the experiment because they then had to use a milk covered rating slip. There was a cause and effect relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable, although it varied in strength depending on the subject.
Although this experiment was designed to have twenty subjects, some subjects did not come to the experiment, because they chose not to or because they forgot. Because of this, the experiment resulted in eighteen subjects instead of twenty. This could have been avoided if the scientists conducting the experiment had reminded all the subjects participating, or had some backup subjects in case subjects were not present. There was also an instant when the scientists did not have the rating slips, but this issue was solved by using slips of paper and ttransfering the information onto the rating slips later. There were no other complications. This experiment does not require any technology other than a refrigerator to keep the milk cold and fresh, so this could not improve technology. But the complications in the design might prove as a warning to others pursuing this question.
There are people in the world who cannot drink cow milk, because of some sickness or another reason. These people can drink goat milk instead, but some might not like goat milk. This experiment proves that people like the chocolate goat milk better than plain goat milk, so people who don't like plain goat milk but cannot drink cow milk might like goat milk better if it is chocolate flavored. However, the chocolate syrup is no better for you than it would be in cow milk, so people could not drink chocolate goat milk all the time.

Benefit to Community and/or Science

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to find out if the flavor of milk affected how much people liked cow milk vs. goat milk. The flavors were chocolate and white. Eighteen subjects were taken into a room, given a small cup of white cow milk and white goat milk. The dependent variable was the type of flavor of the milk, and the independent variable was how much each trial liked each milk. Our experiment question was "Does the flavor of milk affect whether a subject likes cow milk or goat milk better?" It was hypothesized that most subjects would like the chocolate cow milk as much as they liked the chocolate goat milk, regardless of what they rated each without chocolate. The answer was that the flavor does affect whether a subject likes cow milk or goat milk, but not the way that was suspected. The chocolate flavored milk was rated higher, but the goat milk and the cow milk had about the same difference in rating.